Open Casting Call

Entertainment, Special Events

Cold readings and shopping challenges are among effective methods in finding the right people to play holiday hosts at your mall.

Landing a job as Manufaktura’s Santa for the holiday shopping season required more than your standard cover letter and resume. It was, as the mall phrased it, "the best job in the city." That kind of gig came with a strenuous interview process[...] Tactics Subscribers Read More...

Waah, Waah, Waah, Waah, Waah…

Entertainment, Special Events

Galleria at Sunset makes light of less than enjoyable visits with Santa by hosting a Christmas Criers contest. Earplugs were not provided.

As much as parents revere the ritual, not all children like to be dressed in their Sunday best, dragged to the mall and placed on a stranger’s lap to pose for a holiday photo, even if that stranger is Santa. Those who don’t enjoy the exper[...] Tactics Subscribers Read More...

Scan, Touch & Win

Technology Lab, Technology News

QR code coupons were the keys to activate Promenades Cathédrale’s touchscreen kiosks and play to win retailer gift cards.

With a name like Promenades Cathédrale, you’d expect this Canadian mall to be keen on upholding old traditions. Last holiday season, though, it swapped church bells for high-tech tools to entertain shoppers. From November 25 through Christ[...] Tactics Subscribers Read More...

Shop Shape

Apps, Technology Lab

Kanyon managed to attract 6,000 customers to its Kanyon Fit app, which tracks everything from their daily calorie intake to their exercise regime.

Just how buff can you get during two hours of shopping at Kanyon? No, we don’t know either. But you would if you’d been at the Istanbul, Turkey center last fall year, among the adepts of “Kanyon Fit,” a fitness app that the center deve[...] Tactics Subscribers Read More...

Keep Pedaling!

Community Room, Sustainability

Customers sweat out their holiday shopping stress as they take turns pedaling to power NorteShopping’s Christmas tree lights.

Shoppers had to pedal very hard to keep NorteShopping’s tree lights on last Christmas. Wanting to focus its customers’ attention on energy conservation and efficiency, the Portuguese mall teamed up with SportZone to create a sustainable tr[...] Tactics Subscribers Read More...

Value For Money

Sales Promotions, Sales Promotions & More

Think twice before handing those goodie bags. Shoppers are now looking for higher-value branded gifts, like tote bags.

The blurring of the line between advertising and entertainment, courtesy of the Web and social media, has done wonders for brands seeking higher consumer engagement and loyalty. Now, the same kind of marketing mash-up is happening in the realm o[...] Tactics Subscribers Read More...

The Twitter Test

Technology Lab, Technology News

College professor uses Twitter to test the emotional impact and effectiveness of commercials that aired during the Super Bowl.

Piyush Kumar, a marketing professor at the University of Georgia’s Terry College of Business, thinks he might have found a way to use social media to gauge the effectiveness and emotional impact of advertising. For his first high-profile test,[...] Tactics Subscribers Read More...

Luxe Blogging

Social Media Campaigns, Technology Lab

Westfield London’s The Village luxury enclave acts as an online gateway to retailers’ social media feeds

Keeping up with social media life is turning into a full-time job, as more brands strive to generate word-of-mouth advertising online. The Village, Westfield London’s luxury enclave, has made the task a little less daunting for shoppers by [...] Tactics Subscribers Read More...

Pawsox Idol

Entertainment, Special Events

American mall hosts auditions to find its own Idol artist to sing the National Anthem at local baseball game.

The Pawtucket Red Sox is a Minor League Baseball team in Massachusetts (USA), and it takes pride in putting on a good show for fans on and off the field. Like the Major League Baseball, which brought out past American Idol winner Kelly Clarkson [...] Tactics Subscribers Read More...

Look Up

Community Room, Sustainability

If you can’t figure out what to do with those unattractive bare walls that lead to your mall’s washrooms or parkade, just turn them into vertical gardens.

French botanist Patrick Blanc (www.VerticalGardenPatrickBlanc) is credited for inventing the concept of vertical gardens, which a growing list of sustainability enthusiasts have embraced, and that includes malls. In collaboration with archite[...] Tactics Subscribers Read More...